Battle of Jieting
The Battle of Jieting was Zhuge Liang's first attempt to attack Wei. Background In 226 A.D. Emperor Cao Pi passed away, his son Cao Rui was enthroned. Zhuge Liang suspected this might lead to some instability within the Wei court. In addition, Cao Pi had launched three unsuccessful campaigns against Wu, which would have weakened Wei's military. The Battle The Prime Minister, Zhuge Liang, had decided it was time for Shu-Han's first major campaign north since Liu Bei's conquest of Hanzhong commandery almost a decade earlier. He consulted his subordinates for their ideas. Zhuge Liang's Major, Wei Yan stated that Xiahou Mao, the recently appointed Governor of Guanzhong stationed at Chang'an, was only appointed to his position because he was friendly with Emperor Cao Pi, that he lacked the talent deserving of such an important position. He then asked for 5.000 troops and a further 5.000 men to carry supplies so he could lead a quick march on Chang'an and be there in 10 days. Zhuge Liang argued that it was too risky. That failure to capture the city would result in Wei Yan's forces being isolated and would result in them starving. But Wei Yan believed that Xiahou Mao would simply abandon Chang'an and take flight when he heard word of their advance, then Chang'an would be entirely open to attack. Still, Zhuge Liang thought it unsafe and so decided to march with the entire army and set up proper supply routes north. Instead of taking the direct route through the passes, Zhuge Liang wanted to advance west of the mountains and seize Mt. Qi (Qishan), then Tianshui (300 km west of Chang'an, in the Wei river valley), the upper Wei river and the Longyou area. This would allow Zhuge Liang to outflank Wei on the west. Zhuge Liang let it be known that he was marching through Xiegu Valley (斜谷) to take Mei (郿), the city just west of Chang'an (about 90 km west, situated on the north bank of the Wei river). He even sent General Who Guards the East Zhao Yun and General Who Manifests Prowess Deng Zhi to occupy Jigu Pass (箕谷) as decoys. The Emperor quickly dispatched Cao Zhen to fortify Mei city. Secretly, Zhuge Liang marched his forces to Mt. Qi further in the west. It had been years since Liu Bei's death and Shu-Han had shown no signs of aggression towards the north. As a result, the people of the north had felt secure in their position. The sudden news of Shu-Han's incursion sent the people of Liang province into a panic; Tianshui, Nan'an and Anding commanderies all revolted immediately. Emperor Cao Rui marched to Chang'an and appointed General Zhang He as commander and gave him 50.000 troops to subdue the prefectures of Liang. Battle of Jieting Zhuge Liang appointed Ma Su as Advisor of the Army. Before Liu Bei died, he told Zhuge Liang that he thought Ma Su a man whose words exceeded his talents, so he shouldn't be put in any important position. But Zhuge Liang was friendly with Ma Su, they would frequently spend a day discussing military strategy. As such, Zhuge Liang ignored Liu Bei's advice. Instead of utilising more experienced generals like Wei Yan or Wu Yi, Ma Su was given command of the vanguard and sent to seize Jieting. Jieting was a strategic post on a mountain pass about 75 km northeast of Tianshui and 250 km northwest of Chang'an. Zhuge Liang also sent General Gao Xiang to Lieliu 列柳 city. Zhuge Liang had given Ma Su instruction on how to proceed, but when Ma Su reached Jieting he assessed the situation for himself. Unfortunately for him, Ma Su had a superficial understanding of the Art of War, he knew the high ground gave an advantage in warfare so he set up his camp on the mountains. General in Charge of the Camp's Gate Wang Ping repeatedly tried to advise Ma Su against his actions, but was not heeded. When Zhang He arrived at Jieting, he noticed that Ma Su had set up his camp on the mountains instead of in a city. Zhang He cut of access to Ma Su's water supply and waited for the Shu-Han forces to collapse. Ma Su's army was soundly defeated, scattering in all directions. Only the 1.000 men under Wang Ping's command remained on duty; they continued to strike the drums as Ma Su's men fled. Zhang He intended to pursue the Shu-Han forces, but Wang Ping's effort made him think there would be some form of ambush waiting, so he withdrew. Wang Ping took the opportunity to collect some of the abandoned equipment and withdrew also. Cao Zhen, Zhang He and Guo Huai then proceed to pacify the rebellions. Zhang He pacifies Tianshui, Guo Huai pacifies the Qiang chieftain Tang Ti in Nan'an; and Cao Zhen personally goes to Anding. Meanwhile, Zhao Yun's decoy forces was fighting Cao Zhen in Ji Pass and he too was defeated. Zhao Yun, in person, commanded the rearguard. Through his actions, the decoy forces was able to retreat orderly and left behind neither people nor baggage. Zhuge Liang had great success in his campaigns, wherever he went he found success, capturing more than 1.000 households in Xixian. But withdrew to Hanzhong when he heard of Ma Su's defeat. Gao Xiang was also defeated by Guo Huai at Lieliu city. Aftermath The Shu-Han forces fought against Wei on three fronts, at each position they outnumbered the enemy but at each position they were forced to retreat. So the campaign was a failure. The Shu-Han forces had also picked up several Wei defectors from the regions in revolt, which they brought back south. Zhuge Liang also demoted himself by three degrees, accepting the blame for the failed campaign. He said: "In fact, things have gone so far as the regrettable event of disobedience to my command at Jieting and the remissness of my lack of caution at Jigu. These faults are all attributable to me for my lack of intelligence in the employment of men and my lack of experience in affairs." Zhao Yun was also demoted to General Who Guards the East for his defeat at Ji Pass. Because Ma Su had disobeyed military orders, Zhuge Liang was forced to arrest and execute him. Zhuge Liang also executed General Zhang Xiu and Li Sheng, and seized the troops under the command of Wang Xi. Notes Fact vs Fiction References Sources